Threats

Threats

In the early 1800s, whalers and settlers came to the Galapagos Islands. It is likely that they ate land iguanas, but the most serious problem they caused resulted from the introduction, both accidental and deliberate, of predators such as cats and dogs and domestic animals such as goats and pigs (6). Introduced animals are still the main threat facing this species today (2). Cats and rats hunt eggs and young iguanas and introduced goats destroy food plants (4). The natural predators of land iguanas include hawks, herons, and snakes, all of which cannot prey on young after they reach around one year of age, as they become too large. However, cats can continue to kill young iguanas until they reach three or four years of age; cat predation is a huge problem preventing the natural success of the species (5).